Everyone Wants to Think their Toddler is Gifted: Sorting Through Parent Bias and the Truth

Jenny was nine months old when she spoke in full sentences. By eighteen months she could write her own name. At two she could identify all the coins, how much they were worth, and could show you that two dimes and a nickel were equal to a quarter. By three she was reading and that same year she could put together a 50 piece jigsaw puzzle--alone. Gifted toddlers exhibit a wide array of unique behaviors that set them apart from their fellow non-gifted peers.

Gifted toddlers can be easy or hard to identify, depending on what signs of giftedness you are looking for. Many parents want to think their child is gifted, and label perfectly normal, or slightly advanced, behaviors as "genius." Because society's definition of "gifted" is fluid, and because toddlers can exhibit changing traits that may point to giftedness, or may just point to other issues such as tiredness, overwhelm, curiosity, or other concepts, identifying a gifted toddler can be a frustrating experience.

However, it is a process that is crucial: gifted toddlers who do not have their intellectual needs met long-term can experience a host of problems later in life, ranging from increased drug abuse rates, increased suicide rates, higher high school dropout rates, and more. Parents who push for a gifted label for non-gifted toddlers can cause serious problems long-term, just as parents who do not meet the needs of gifted toddlers place them at risk.

For these and other reasons, gifted toddlers should be identified by a professional as early as possible, so that early intervention can take place, and their academic needs can be met.

So what are some signs and symptoms of a gifted toddler?

1. Early talking. While most children don't begin to talk beyond "mama" "dada" and "bye-bye" before eighteen months or so, eighteen month old gifted toddlers may be speaking in full sentences with sentence clauses. It is not outside the realm of normal for an advanced child to speak two word sentences at six or seven months of age: see my article on Gifted Infants for more information on this phenomenon.